# someone shoved Johnnie Walker Blue up in my grill AND LEFT IT AT MY HOUSE!!!



## mrreindeer (Sep 4, 2008)

For the love of God, why am I plagued so??? Seriously, first some British guy takes my cigars and shoves them up his nose & gives them back to me after remarking that they're cheap and smell like ammonia.

Now I have to deal with a sudden urge to drink scotch? WTF!

A little background:

I am seriously new to scotch. I am just getting to know my very generous neighbor of two years. Both of these facts haunt me terribly.

Appropriately, this happened yesterday, on Halloween.

I spent four hours setting up the usual 'Haunted Garden' for the local kids. My wife and I live in my father's old house. When he sold the house to us, he told us that he never got Trick-or-Treaters during Halloween. Of course, that's because he purposely turned off all lights in the house.

No fun at all, so I strive to be 'that house' the kids will always come back to because of the hard work I put into the setup and because of the fact that we also bribe the kids with full-size candybars.

In 2006, we had a whopping 7 T-o-T'ers. In 2007, we had 30!! Surely word is getting around.

Last night, we had a pathetic 18 kids show up. And damn it, it was worth it seeing the faces of those kids, who, like I have done, will always remember Halloween for the way it should be instead of being the holiday where you go to the local mall and T-o-T the stores. What's up with that??

Fortunately, my across the street neighbor and his wife are like us, good people, relatively young, who like a good time, as opposed to the other folks who are relatively old, stuffy and couldn't care less about Halloween and most of us neighbors, except when we're noisy, which we almost never are.

One such time when we were noisy, we were having a party to celebrate the end of the summer (and hoping the market gets better). The across the street neighbor comes over and apologizes for not being able to make the party and tosses a bottle of Patron Anejo tequila my way.

Damn him for being so generous!!

And then last night, as we're sitting around with another couple, waiting for the "next T-o-T'er that never showed up", our neighbor, who we had invited over when his kids came to the house earlier, comes on over with some JW Blue.

Damn him for turning me on to this stuff!

Prior to this, I had only had one glass of $40 scotch at a restaurant taking out clients (it was about 5 years ago & I don't remember what it was and I really wasn't blown away) and then a 'flight' of 6 premium whiskey's at NYC's Hudson Bar & Books most recently (and they all pretty much grossed me out & I didn't finish any one mini-glass). I had also had a glass of Courvoisier with a cigar here & there but never really loved it; I was just drinking it because I've been told that's 'just what you do'.

So there we were, smoking cigars, getting to know the neighbor, playing some Taboo and drowing our Halloween sorrows in glasses of JW Blue.

*And I'm left with two issues that I need help resolving.*

(and I made this a new post instead of following through on an old one...trust me, I read the latest JW Blue post, so I'm looking forward to what Scottw, Kayaker & JohnnyFlake have to say to me specifically regarding my taste experience!! thanks in advance you guys! :tu)

*Issue #1:* This neighbor is way too generous; I can't take it. He must be up to something. I figure the only resolution is that he move away, far, far away before he turns me on to other delights.

But if he or I stay, what should I do? I asked the guy to take the previously unopened bottle with him at the end of the evening last night (even though he & my buddy were drinking the stuff like water, there was still about 2/3 left - I resisted and stopped after 1 glass because I kinda knew how expensive this sh!t was). He refused.

I propose to only drink this with him the next time we get together. Or during some sleepwalking incident where I can't really be blamed for drinking it by myself. Hopefully we will be able to get together with the neighbor SOON so I can have another taste of this wonderful stuff instead of letting it go to waste in the cupboard.

Now, over the course of two months, this bastard has probably bought us $200 worth of booze and all I've done is give the guy a cigar (last night). (turns out, he's been smoking for 6 years so it's great we have this common interest).

So I feel I should do something nice for him before the next time we get together. But even though he dropped the $150 or whatever the hell the bloody thing costs on us, I think that what he did was way over the top.

I mean, I don't even spend that kind of dough on wine and we like our wine. I'm just very conservative and know that I've had a $20 bottle of vino that's beaten the pants (or stems....seeds??) off a $100 bottle of vino....so is there something similar in scotch-dom? Would my neighbor appreciate another scotch in the same way he does a $150 bottle of Blue? Would he know how good another bottle is? Would he be pissed I don't spend $150 on it? Man, what a predicament. I never asked the guy to bring the stuff over but it was sooooo freakin' good and it was so nice of him! And now I just feel I owe him. I hate this.

Which brings me to *Issue #2*

What the heck should I drink now that I've found the love of my life...okay, I exaggerate but it was sure tasty.

So, here's what I liked about the JW Blue. I liked that it went down easy, was smooth and had this great flavor (not to mention that it was so much better than any one of those 6 premium whiskey's in NYC). Obviously, I'm not a seasoned scotch drinker so I probably can't even appreciate this stuff for all it's scotchy goodness but boy did I appreciate it. Really.

So, is there something that I would like that's considerably cheaper, neighbor issue aside?

I'm looking for only one. There must be THE ONE. Well, other than Johnnie Walker Blue (DAMN YOU JOHNNIE!).


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## Darrell (Aug 12, 2007)

I'll take it if you don't want it. :r


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## Cigary (Oct 19, 2007)

God in heaven how I need neighbors like that!! I digress a bit here feeling your pain in that you have a neighbor that is clearly overwhelming you with favors in that you will never be able to compete. I have a friend who tends to act this way as well and will send these expensive gifts and want nothing in return except to have a good relationship and you might realize that their are people out there who tend to overdo like your neighbor does. To them it is worth the effort to do what they do because they get your attention and they appreciate it. They will continue to do this until they either get tired of doing it or they get annoyed with you. For the time being just be honest with him and tell him that you really appreciate his generosity and buy him cigars as a means to repay as it seems he likes that. It should never be a contest in relationships as some are able to do more than others but at the end of the day it's all about the time being spent.

Our place was the same as far as T or Treat peeps. We had all this candy that the wife wanted to buy and we had maybe 4 groups show up. So, who gets to eat all the candy now? I have diabetes and I am watching the Reeses cups like they are little cups of gold, tootsie roll pops are calling me by my middle name. Skittles are jumping up and down in their little bags whining how sweet they are. Ok, almost 24 hours later I am nearly in a diabetic coma with my blood sugars reaching almost 400 and my wife blaming me for eating the candy. Lifes fair!!


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## mrreindeer (Sep 4, 2008)

Darrell said:


> I'll take it if you don't want it. :r


Walk on over here Darrell and take it buddy.... sorry, I couldn't resist, not nice, not nice at all. I'll just :bnmyself now please.



Cigary said:


> God in heaven how I need neighbors like that!! I digress a bit here feeling your pain in that you have a neighbor that is clearly overwhelming you with favors in that you will never be able to compete. I have a friend who tends to act this way as well and will send these expensive gifts and want nothing in return except to have a good relationship and you might realize that their are people out there who tend to overdo like your neighbor does. To them it is worth the effort to do what they do because they get your attention and they appreciate it. They will continue to do this until they either get tired of doing it or they get annoyed with you. For the time being just be honest with him and tell him that you really appreciate his generosity and buy him cigars as a means to repay as it seems he likes that. It should never be a contest in relationships as some are able to do more than others but at the end of the day it's all about the time being spent.
> 
> Our place was the same as far as T or Treat peeps. We had all this candy that the wife wanted to buy and we had maybe 4 groups show up. So, who gets to eat all the candy now? I have diabetes and I am watching the Reeses cups like they are little cups of gold, tootsie roll pops are calling me by my middle name. Skittles are jumping up and down in their little bags whining how sweet they are. Ok, almost 24 hours later I am nearly in a diabetic coma with my blood sugars reaching almost 400 and my wife blaming me for eating the candy. Lifes fair!!


You make a very good point that I needed to realize/remember, that it's not a competition. Right you are, thank you. His generosity begs the question, however, of how good a relationship he's lookin' for...cuz while it seems I can be bought and you can shove my cigars up your nose and walk all over me, there are just some things I won't do... 

My wife said I wasn't insistent enough about him taking back the bottle. I told her, "Do you know how much it costs?"....I'm kidding but she said I shouldn't have accepted to keep it, that once he sobers up, he'll be out there pounding on our door to get it back.

And I won't f'ing open up, damn it, you can huff & puff &....

Cigary - STAY AWAY FROM THE (CANDY) LIGHT!!! Yeah, I'm with you buddy. I have these 30 full-size bars digesting in my stomach....."no more pie!"


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## Scott W. (Jul 10, 2008)

Hey Darrell, I'll fight you for it, kidding of course.

David, I feel awful for you that you have such FREEKIN AWESOME NEIGHBORS. The last gift I got from my neighbor was a visit from the building dept for my shed in the backyard (bastages, all of them). If he is a fan of blended whisky and you want to offer something nice without going for the lungs (again this is not competition, we do what we do out of the goodness of our hearts, not the size of our wallets). Pick up some Bushmills 21 at half the price of the Blue. It is Irish Whisky, not Scotch but it is awesome and if he doesn't like it, stick his cigar up your snot tunnel. I'd say get some Single Malt like was spoke about before, but it is a horse of a different color and I'm not sure if he enjoys SM. If he does, the Balvenie 17 yr Sherry Cask is a great bet. Nice catching up with you before, hope you enjoyed your sushi!


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## Scott W. (Jul 10, 2008)

mrreindeer said:


> You make a very good point that I needed to realize/remember, that it's not a competition. Right you are, thank you. His generosity begs the question, however, of *how good a relationship* *he's lookin' for*...cuz while it seems I can be bought and you can shove my cigars up your nose and walk all over me, there are just some things I won't do...


Maybe he likes your hiney (sorry, couldn't resist):chk:chk:chk


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## mrreindeer (Sep 4, 2008)

scottw said:


> Maybe he likes your hiney


maybe he does.....:r:r

Hey, Scott, thanks so much for the tips (so to speak). I really appreciate the help and enjoyed talking with 'ya over the weekend. Sorry about having to cut it short yesterday but duty called, if 'ya know what I mean!


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## ThreeSheets (Jul 4, 2008)

Since your neighbor has set the price bar so high, considerably cheaper is still damn good. I suggest any of the popular 18 year olds: Glenmoranige, et. al.

A great starter single malt, in my opinion, is The Balvenie Doublewood.


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## mosesbotbol (Sep 21, 2005)

Good neighbor to have!

Buy yourself a bottle of JW Black. Start off with a touch off Blue then move to the Black when you are ready to light a cigar. The cigar will kill your pallet, so why waste it on the Blue? You'll stretch out the Blue and still enjoy the moment with cigar smoking the Black.

No need to reciprocate the generosity to his level. We all have different means and can be a sport in different ways. If you got it like him then why not? If you feel the need to be generous, do what you can from the heart, not necessarily the wallet. Being genuine is as important as being generous.


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## gonzo (Apr 12, 2007)

I agree with what everyone has said about not making this a competition. Just share another fine blend with him that you enjoy and see how he likes it. If you feel more in your element, share with him a favorite wine of yours, the gesture of sharing something special to you with him will mean more than what the actual monetary cost was!

Keep in mind, that he may just be genuienly looking forward to hanging out with you guys!

We were also in a similar predicament when it came to Halloween...we put some effort into creating the proper "spooky" yet fun mood in our house decor, yet hardly anyone showed up for treats...left us WAY too much candy to have to eat ourselves the past few days...

By the way, invite me over and introduce me to your neighbor, I'm craving some Johnnie Walker - red, black, green or blue, no matter! LOL...

Stomp'N'Rock,

Joseph


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## ucla695 (Jun 27, 2006)

Wow, David…talk about problems. :r

I don’t have much to add here, but I also have some really generous friends (one of whom gave me a very nice box of steaks recently). I think the important thing to do is to express your appreciation and gratitude. That will go further than anything you might throw his way. You can even reciprocate with something you like in the future. It doesn’t have to be on the same level as the gifts you received, but something that you like. 

Hah, looks like you also found a new slope to traverse. :r Enjoy!


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## (909) (Jul 27, 2004)

scottw said:


> I'd say get some Single Malt like was spoke about before, but it is a horse of a different color and I'm not sure if he enjoys SM. If he does, the Balvenie 17 yr Sherry Cask is a great bet.


I was going to suggest the same.

You're a lucky man to have such great neighbors, you must be a great neighbor yourself to have that kind of generosity flowing your way!

Balvenie Doublewood or Macallan Fine Oak are good choices in the $40.00 range and are very good Single Malts. Take one to his house, open it share it and leave it!

There's a house for sale down the street, sure you don't want to live in Upland?:r


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## kayaker (Aug 7, 2008)

Hey David,

I'll try to throw my :2 regarding what Scotches you should try.

I've only had LWBL once at a JW tasting. I enjoyed it, but as I've said before, I think you can get better for the same money, or comparable for less. I've been asked what, but I don't really know. I would need to compare some more.

It's hard to say what you like, keeping in mind that JWBL is a blend. Nothing against blends, but it's a little different. A single malt is a whisky made from only malted barley, and from a single distillery. A blended whisky has some malted barley in it, but it also has other grain whiskies in it. If you mix several single malts together you get a blended/vatted/pure malt whisky. Have I confused you yet?

So, I tend to like malt whisky best. One blend that I really like is Te Bheag Like like tea bag, but is pronounced Chey Vek). It has a higher malt content than most blends. It's quite a good bang for your buck if you can find it.

I don't know what premium malts you tried. If you can remeber it may help us narrow down the search list a bit.

Some of the smoother malts that I know of would be Dalwhinnie 15, Glenkinchie (10 or 12), and a new one to me Scapa 14.

Auchentoshan is also know for being very approachable.

You may find a Bruichladdie that suits your tastes as well. It's not usually as peaty as the rest of the Islay malts.

Glenlivet 18 or 21 would be quite nice as well.

If you think your tastes go more towards the blended side of things, try the 
JW Black Label and the Gold for a few bucks more. My dad always liked Chivas Regal before he found some single malts that he really liked.

You may also want to try some of the single malt Irish whiskies as well. Bush Mills and Tullamore Dew.

Best thing you can do is try a few specialty or higher end liquor stores and look for their resident expert to help you out. Look for someone who is not too stuck up about it all, but will talk plain to you and help you find out what you like. See if any have scotch tastings that you could bring your neighbor to.

Hope this helps. The worse that could happen now is that you will have to spend some time trying out a wide range of whisky.

Cheers,

Ian


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## raralith (Sep 26, 2008)

I'm like that for my neighbors, I love to bring out cigars and alcohol. I live in an apartment though with 40 other units so a good amount of us come out, barbaque, have a good time. It's not about money or competition; it's about having a fun and fun is cigars and alcohol. Luckily, the wife and I have no children (yet *whew*) so we've got a bit of dispolisble income. Hoenstly, money isn't worth anything unless you spend it, and if I ran out of toilet paper, I'd rather wipe my ass with money then ruin my underwear.

As stated above, Blue Label is a blended Scotch, and after having a few bottles of it, I think it's OK. For $130 duty free, it's not a good value, in my opinion. Black Label is probably my favorite from Johny Walker, and at $25 at my local Rite Aid, I think that's a steal. Out of all blended Scotches though, I prefer J&B. If you liked Blue Label, you most likely will like blended, but I'd give single malt a shot though you may find it less appealing to your taste. For single malt, I drink Glenlivet 18.


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## mrreindeer (Sep 4, 2008)

Thanks so much fellas; I really appreciate your input.


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## jrw (Oct 21, 2006)

*Not really a "blended" scotch*

A more precise description would be to refer to JWBL as a "vatted" scotch. Blended has the connotation of a single malt or two blended with neutral grain spirits and the result generally is a lesser animal. Vatted is also a blend, if you insist, but is comprised wholly of a mixture of single malts without any grain spirits so it's "pure" scotch. JW green and gold labels are, I believe, vatted scotches whereas JW red and black are blended and if I'm not mistaken, the black is the largest seller scotch worldwide. Johnnie Walker has kicked it up a notch with JW King George V Blue Label--don't ask me what it tastes like, someone will have to leave it to me in their will, because it goes for about $550 a bottle.

A very good listing and description of available scotches, maybe so much info that you'll come out more confused than when you went in, can be found on this vendor's site:

http://www.klwines.com/content.asp?...OutofStock:N,Inventory+Location:Special+Order)

kayaker has given many good suggestions. I'd start with the Macallan as excellent palate training for what a single malt should taste like. Be forewarned, the single malt slope is every bit as slippery as the seegar slope.


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## kayaker (Aug 7, 2008)

Here's a link to the JW site.

The green label is the vatted malt, the rest are regular blends.

The sites gives a description of each label and also has serving suggestions as how to best enjoy each.

Interesting enough is their emphasis on cold. The Red is for mixed drinks. Black and Green over ice. Chill the Gold for 24 hours and serve in a chilled glass. Sip ice water along with the Blue.

From all the reading I've done (and heard at tastings) cold in the mouth tends to deaden the taste buds a bit. So to me, it is what you would do for something that tastes bad but you had to take it.

But to each their own. I like mine neat, roomish temperature and maybe with a drop of water or 2.


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## mosesbotbol (Sep 21, 2005)

*Re: Not really a "blended" scotch*



jrw said:


> \if I'm not mistaken, the black is the largest seller scotch worldwide.


Red is their biggest seller. Let's not forget *JW Swing*; not much talk about that one. I find it too light and smooth.


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## mrreindeer (Sep 4, 2008)

Very interesting stuff fellas, thanks so much. I was wondering why the heck my neighbor would have his Big Gulp cup of JWBlue (no joke) filled to the brim with ice. I drank mine neat (without the ice, at room temp.) and would never have thought to screw it up (or dulling my senses) with adding anything. But hey, to each his own & heck, he was the one who footed the JWBlue tab so who am I to argue. I've been told about the tablespoon of water...perhaps I'll have to try that the next time we have 'em over but as far as I'm concerned, the stuff was pretty darn perfect by itself! Damn that stuff!

And I'm going on day five & I haven't had so much as a drop, leaving it to the next time the guy comes over.


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## Scott W. (Jul 10, 2008)

mrreindeer said:


> Very interesting stuff fellas, thanks so much. I was wondering why the heck my neighbor would have his Big Gulp cup of JWBlue (no joke) filled to the brim with ice. I drank mine neat (without the ice, at room temp.) and would never have thought to screw it up (or dulling my senses) with adding anything. But hey, to each his own & heck, he was the one who footed the JWBlue tab so who am I to argue. I've been told about the tablespoon of water...perhaps I'll have to try that the next time we have 'em over but as far as I'm concerned, the stuff was pretty darn perfect by itself! Damn that stuff!
> 
> And I'm going on day five & I haven't had so much as a drop, leaving it to the next time the guy comes over.


 Call the guy tonight and tell him you had a flood in your basement and if he can help you move a few things around. When he gets there tell him you already finished and ask him if he wants a drink that way you get to drink some Blue tonight!!! Offer him a nice stogie.


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## kayaker (Aug 7, 2008)

mrreindeer said:


> I've been told about the tablespoon of water...perhaps I'll have to try that


About the water thing, my Scottish Scotch pusher says a common phrase in Scotland is that you should always have water with your whisky and always have whisky with your water.

That said, approach the water issue with care. A few drops (literally) can open up some of the flavour of a whisky. Use spring water or anything free of minerals etc. Try a drop or two at a time and watch what happens in the glass, swirl it a little and try it. You can add a bit more if you like and see how the taste changes. You may find it helps you may find it doesn't. Depends on the whisky and you.

Also keep in mind the ABV (percentage of alcohol) of the bottle you are drinking. Drinking strength is considered to be 40%, but that depends on you. Scotch is generally bottled between 40-46%, but may be bottled as cask strength up to 60+%. The higher the alcohol, the more burn you get with each sip.

Personally I generally don't add water to my scotch, I like it the way it is. Even for some cask strength bottlings, I add very little if anything. However, I'm still experimenting with this.

So, to repeat myself, add a drop or two at a time and see how you like it. You can always add more but if you add too much then you need to add more whisky and soon your wake up bowing to the throne with a splitting headaches.:hn

Not that that's ever happened to me.:chk


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## mrreindeer (Sep 4, 2008)

Thanks fellas.



scottw said:


> Call the guy tonight and tell him you had a flood in your basement and if he can help you move a few things around. When he gets there tell him you already finished and ask him if he wants a drink that way you get to drink some Blue tonight!!! Offer him a nice stogie.


Freaking GREAT idea! Hey Scott, what's a basement?


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## Lumpold (Apr 28, 2005)

kayaker said:


> Interesting enough is their emphasis on cold. The Red is for mixed drinks. Black and Green over ice. Chill the Gold for 24 hours and serve in a chilled glass. Sip ice water along with the Blue.
> 
> From all the reading I've done (and heard at tastings) cold in the mouth tends to deaden the taste buds a bit. So to me, it is what you would do for something that tastes bad but you had to take it.
> 
> But to each their own. I like mine neat, roomish temperature and maybe with a drop of water or 2.


JW claim that you need to chill the whisky so that as you drink it, the temperature change in the whisky releases the different flavours (chemical compounds), thus giving you the full range. The idea isn't to make the drink cold, just cooler, meaning the the temp range (10C to body temp) is right for the drink.


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## ucla695 (Jun 27, 2006)

mrreindeer said:


> Freaking GREAT idea! Hey Scott, what's a basement?


I think it's where they keep their socks on the East Coast. :chk


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## epyon26 (Dec 16, 2007)

just come back over the top of them, get'em back


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## Scott W. (Jul 10, 2008)

ucla695 said:


> I think it's where they keep their socks on the East Coast. :chk


You guys suck! The basement is where the hydostatic pressure causes flooding resulting in me getting a bill from Mid-Atlantic Waterproofing for $12,700 last month after spending several hundred thousand dollars rebuilding my house after the F*#^er burned down. Glad you don't have one!


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## mrreindeer (Sep 4, 2008)

Oof, that's awful Scott!

Okay fellas, I'M GOIN' IN!

I'm going to my store today to do some scotch huntin'. I really appreciate all your tips. I've jotted down all the ones you've mentioned and I'll see what they've got. I'll keep 'ya posted!


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## mrreindeer (Sep 4, 2008)

Well, I was sidetracked and didn't get to the liquor store like I thought I would. I hope to do it today.

However.....

*Very curious update on the JW Blue: *

It has now been 19 days without a drip of the stuff. Oh, I've had other wonderful beverages, to be sure, but none of the JW Blue that sits in my cupboard and mocks me daily.

Well, yesterday, mrsreindeer & I excited (and misinformed) that it was Friday (it was not), we decided to enjoy some Mexican sustenance and cadillac margaritas at our usual neighborhood haunt. As usual, we wanted to continue our afternoon fiesta (I work East Coast hours so it was 3pm PST but surely 5 o'clock somewhere) so mrsreindeer ran for 31 Flavors (all of them) & I ran to Longs Drugs to pick up some JW Black because I couldn't get it outta my head and I refused to break into the JW Blue in the cupboard.

Damn, that stuff is cheap! And you know what, pretty close to the Blue, really, certainly not worth spending an extra $120 a bottle for Big Blue.

Oh, you're wondering how I know it was close to the Blue as far as I was concerned, me, with my immature Scotch palate....well......

Okay, so I took the damn Blue out of the box that stood as a formidable barrier between my drunken self and the liquid within and poured a TINY bit into a glass because I wanted to do a comparison of the two.

I was more ambitious with my pour of the JW Black, of course, and then I noticed something.

Remember that I said that the JW Blue had 2/3 left in the bottle when the neighbor refused to take it home with him and I subsequently put it in the cupboard? Yeah, BEFORE my 2 Tablespoon pour last night (seriously, I can't honestly drink the stuff without inviting the guy over to have it with me), that 2/3 had magically changed to 1/2.

SOMEBODY FREAKING DRANK THE JOHNNIE WALKER BLUE THAT MY NEIGHBOR SHOVED UP IN MY GRILL AND LEFT AT MY HOUSE.

WTF?

Could I have been sleepwalking since this bottle has been on my mind every waking second since it was cracked open on Halloween? Could my cats have gotten to it? The wife? Never; my cats lecture me daily that I probably need to lay off and mrsreindeer had been afraid of the stuff from the very beginning and never even tried it and we have plenty of alcohol in the house should she have an episode of private binge-drinking which isn't her M.O. (that I know of!).

So who could have had, wait, I have to calculate this.

2/3 - X = 1/2

2/3 - X + X = 1/2 + X

2/3 - 1/2 = X + 1/2 - 1/2

X = 1/6

The culprit took 1/6 of the bottle.

1/6 of a $150 bottle of booze is $25.

Not so bad BUT who would have stolen $25 out of my pocket, er, my neighbor's pocket? That disturbs me more than the fact that I'll, I mean, we'll (neighbor & me) have less JW Blue to drink if we ever do end up cracking into the bottle again.

Maybe the neighbor left it with me as a test? To see if I'd actually hold up my promise to him that I wouldn't touch it until we had him over again. Maybe this very incident will spark an outright war between our two households and he'll never trust me again and I'll begin finding horse heads in my bed of bougainvillea.

At least I'll have the 1/2 bottle to enjoy.

Soooo...to quote "Men at Work", who could it be now?

(raises hand) I know! (feeling proud like I've just figured out it was Colonel Mustard in the Library with the Pipe)

Since Halloween, we've only had 3 friends over to the house and my inlaws, both groups at two separate times. The inlaws were over on Sunday, during the day and the 3 friends were over on Saturday night to watch the fight.

I've already questioned the inlaws under hot, bright lights and my mother-in-law was brought to tears. Either she's a very good actor or she had no idea what the hell I was talking about. I think she thinks my friend Johnnie was taken advantage of in a most heinous manor by a dwarf lion trainer. Not sure where the heck she'd come up with that idea.

So it leaves the 3 friends on Saturday.

All of you know I was diving on Saturday (because the fires were attacking our great city & I ran to the water like the sissy I am) so I wasn't home when mrsreindeer (defending the homestead from firestorm) decided to have a 'gathering of criminals' which is what I'll call the event from hereon out.

mrsreindeer swore to me (under the same hot, bright lights to which her parents were subjected) that she only left the room once during the 'gathering of criminals'.

Upon her return, one of these gathered criminals attempted to distract mrsreindeer with karaoke and wine. A glass of wine surely would have been enough. So it was within few seconds that one of these gathered criminals opened the blue box, retrieved the JW Blue, uncorked it, poured it into a glass, recorked it, returned the bottle to the box and put it back up in the cupboard, where it continued to mock me even more upon my return late Saturday night. From its perch in the cupboard, I could almost hear the bottle alluding to the thievery, as if to tell me, "See what happens when you leave the house and leave me vulnerable and defenseless?" I swear mrsreindeer has uttered these same words, even Saturday night as fires blazed a few mere miles away and I was off diving 30 miles away off Catalina Island.

Suspect #1: Way too short to even reach the cupboard. Because of her heritage, I'd reckon her a Tequila thief but not a Scotch thief...note to self: check the tequila. She's more of a spinner than a malt-beveragester.

Suspect #2: On direct orders from the doctor not to drink due to an outbreak of Hepatitis A.

Suspect #3: A Masshole . Patriots fan. 'Nuff said. Way smarter than me; he went to Cornell. He could've totally pulled this off but really he's not as good as he thinks because I was out of the house, 30 miles away. If I was there, whole 'nother story. He's tall, could easily reach the cupboard. Could easily beat the crap outta anybody posting an accusatory post on a cigar forum. Likes scotch, even had 2 glasses of the JW Blue on Halloween. Always tricks us by drinking 64 calorie lite beer but we never check the contents. mrsreindeer even attempted to go through the trash last night (no joke) because she was convinced Suspect #3 hadn't used a glass, possibly drank right from the bottle or poured right into a 64-calorie beer can. She wanted to smell the empty beer cans (again, no joke).

So, like my Boogergar situation where I've yet to confront the manager of the British Pub/Restaurant who shoved my cigars up his nose & gave them back to me (oh but I will), I intend to confront Suspect #3 and ask him for $25. I'll keep you posted.

_Note: While the occurences above are somewhat accurate, I'm totally kidding. Even if Suspect #3 went into my cupboard and drank the booze which I'M FREAKIN' POSITIVE HE DID, I can't hold a grudge. He's a good guy and welcome to everything in my home except mrsreindeer. It's just kinda odd._


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## raralith (Sep 26, 2008)

I've had Blue and Black back to back and I can definately tell that Blue was better; richer taste, more smooth, went down easier, better aroma. But the Black was very close, and so it all comes down to costs - is it worth it to get a superior product at 6 times the costs of a great product? It's similair to cigars - would you be happy with a $5 good cigar, or a $30 great cigar? Either way you're happy, either way the money is spent once you light it, but the difference is that someone is willing to pay $30 while some are not.


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## mrreindeer (Sep 4, 2008)

Exactly; very good point.


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## Jay Hemingway-cl (Oct 21, 2007)

my :2

i used to drink everyday. my drink of choice is scotch of course. i do not drink everyday anymore, i actually barely drink now. the only bottles i have left in my house are JW blue, JW gold, JW swing and some balvenie 10 year. all good scotch imo. the blue label is my favorite of course.

for your problem with liking the blue the best but not able to spend that kind of loot on it all the time (oh yea you said $150!! holy shite it cost over $200 here in jersey!) i STRONGLY suggest the gold label man.

IMO the gold label is pretty damn close to the blue and less than half the cost. bottle of JW gold can be had for $60 or so. it is unbelievably smooth. it is very close to the blue for me. 

i used to be a black and red fan but after drinking blue and gold so much i can taste the difference, it is a big difference too. black is good if you are mixing it with coke, gold and blue should not be wasted with anything added (except maybe spring water) or ice.

as far as your neighbor being generous, just go with the flow my man!! i have had some really shitty neighbors before that didn't come by with shite. he knows you are appreciative or he wouldn't do it. enjoy it. come through with the good stuff when you can.

:tu


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## mrreindeer (Sep 4, 2008)

Jay Hemingway said:


> my :2
> 
> i used to drink everyday. my drink of choice is scotch of course. i do not drink everyday anymore, i actually barely drink now. the only bottles i have left in my house are JW blue, JW gold, JW swing and some balvenie 10 year. all good scotch imo. the blue label is my favorite of course.
> 
> ...


Thanks Jay....hey, if the JW Gold can be had in Jersey for $60/bottle, I assume it's about $5.50 out here in Cali? 

Okay, so I went to, where else, The Beverage Warehouse, yesterday on my way home. I had my list on me and browsed the premium whisky aisle (it's still taking a bit to get used to spelling without the E). Scott, you are one crazy bastage recommending the Balvenie 17....man, that stuff was expensive! $150. So I chose instead Jack Daniels...

Just kidding. Weighing all the options and using all my information that you very helpful fellas gave me, I ended up with kayaker's recommendation of Dalwhinnie 15 for $49.99. I was interested too in Scott's recommendation of Bushmill's 21 but they didn't have it.

I didn't have time to do a taste test of all three (actually four! I found I have Chivas Regal in the cupboard too, a leftover from my Pop who sold us our house..I think there's another full bottle in the garage) last night, but I did have a sip of the Dalwhinnie before heading out for the night.

It certainly was quite smooth, smokey and boy, that little bit really warmed me right up. It packed a whollop. I'm looking forward to lining up a taste of Blue (shhh, don't tell the neighbor), Black, Chivas Regal (pretty sure it's a 12-year) and the Dalwhinnie and see if I can tell the difference.

Thanks again guys! :tu Oh, and Jay, I may just have to reconsider the Gold for next time! Thanks!


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## Scott W. (Jul 10, 2008)

mrreindeer said:


> Thanks Jay....hey, if the JW Gold can be had in Jersey for $60/bottle, I assume it's about $5.50 out here in Cali?
> 
> Okay, so I went to, where else, The Beverage Warehouse, yesterday on my way home. I had my list on me and browsed the premium whisky aisle (it's still taking a bit to get used to spelling without the E). Scott, you are one crazy bastage recommending the Balvenie 17....man, that stuff was expensive! $150. So I chose instead Jack Daniels...
> 
> ...


The Dalwhinnie will taste completley different. it is a single malt and the others are blends. Maybe do a vertical with the blends and then the Dalwhinnie seperatly and see how he single malt differs. Anyway, I'm jealous. Balvenie went up in price. I used to get the Balvenie 21 for less than $150


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## mrreindeer (Sep 4, 2008)

scottw said:


> The Dalwhinnie will taste completley different. it is a single malt and the others are blends. Maybe do a vertical with the blends and then the Dalwhinnie seperatly and see how he single malt differs.


Dare I say that with my immature palate, the Dalwhinnie kinda tasted, well, similar to the blend but I'll follow your suggestion and see what differences I can discover been the blends & the single malt.

:tu


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## mrreindeer (Sep 4, 2008)

Oh, btw, is the Chivas Regal 12 any good? And I know Courvoisier is Cognac but what do you think of that stuff cuz, well, lookie here, I just happen to have a bottle up there in the MASSIVE cupboard too!


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## Scott W. (Jul 10, 2008)

mrreindeer said:


> Oh, btw, is the Chivas Regal 12 any good? And I know Courvoisier is Cognac but what do you think of that stuff cuz, well, lookie here, I just happen to have a bottle up there in the MASSIVE cupboard too!


Chivas is pretty good. I think I like the JW Black better. THe only Cognac that has wowed me so far is the Martel's Cordon Bleu.


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## uvacom (Oct 29, 2008)

I am a huge single malt fan who is just getting into cigars, so I'll throw in my :2. 

As others have stated, blue is a blend. It's good, it's even a little interesting, but if my first glass of scotch had been a blend, I don't think I would have "gotten it". 

I like Islay scotches. Laphroig, Ardbeg, Lagavulin, that stuff. Those scotches are very peaty and smoky, and so I think they pair particularly well with cigars. Lagavulin is the smoothest, oldest, and most expensive of the lot, but my personal favorite is actually the ardbeg uigeadail. It's cask strength so it probably needs a little water (don't feel like a wimp about it, 120 proof is a little extreme and the alcohol will mask most of the subtlties if you drink it full strength). 

I also like the aberlour abunad'h. That's another cask strength scotch, but it's from a different region (speyside) so it has different characteristics, it's rather spicy and complex. 

As far as cognac goes, I love it as well. I think the cost of admission for a similar quality cognac is a little higher compared to scotch. I like the Remy Martin cognacs the best, they are a grand/petite champagne cognac. The XO is naturally the one to aim for. 

If you ever happen to be in Omaha, NE we have a bar called the Dundee Dell which actually houses the second largest private scotch collection in the world. It's like a wonderland of scotch.


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## mrreindeer (Sep 4, 2008)

Awesome, thanks! :tu


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## kayaker (Aug 7, 2008)

When you do your comparison have some unsalted, plain crackers or white bread and some spring water to help cleanse your palate between samples. 

Also, when you compare the nose (how it smells) don't stick your nose in too close right away. Too much alcohol there and you will burn your nostrils.

I'm with uvacom about the Islay malts. I need to do a big Islay malt comparison.


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## docmusolf (Apr 18, 2008)

May I suggest a number of great bourbons. Used to drink blue labe all the time until one of my corrupting friends turned me on to bourbon. Now an expensive bottle is $50-90 instead of $220+. Try Woodford Reserve, evan willams single barrel, Blanton's, Jefferson reserve these are our favorites next on the list is Pappy Van WInkle. Also for a nice light drink is Basil HAyden very comparable to a glenlivet 12


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## uvacom (Oct 29, 2008)

Mmm true. My intuition tells me bourbon might be a little sweet for most cigars, but then again that might really help offset a really bold cigar with lots of spice. 

Even Williams single barrel has got to be one of the best values in the spirits world. It's under $30 at my local wine & spirits and it's simply a fine bourbon by any measure. Maybe lacking in the complexity of some more expensive bourbons, but I don't necessarily seek a cerebral experience when I think of bourbon anyway (and I don't mean that with any condescension, I just think that the enjoyment of bourbon should be on a uniquely american visceral level).


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## PaleRider (Nov 21, 2008)

What a problem to have. I have been lusting after a 1/5th of JWBL for a couple of months now. ($258.00 at the local Fry's Grocery). I've been reluctant to purchase it as I am totally terrified that I won't like it. 

I tend to be a single malt kind of guy, not a huge fan of blends. Anyway. I think the rest of the posters are on the right track with this. Just share with him what is special to you as well. I'm sure he will appreciate it.

If not, well, at least you got to enjoy the JWBL! Okay, maybe that is the wrong attitude to take, but hey, I've never been a fan of "keeping up with the Jone's" myself.

As far as SM's go, I really like Laphroaig and the Dalmore.:2

Hope this helps!


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## mrreindeer (Sep 4, 2008)

Thanks fellas, your help is much appreciated. :tu:tu I'lll be adding bourbon to the shopping list now. :ss


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## Scott W. (Jul 10, 2008)

uvacom said:


> Mmm true. My intuition tells me bourbon might be a little sweet for most cigars, but then again that might really help offset a really bold cigar with lots of spice.
> 
> Even Williams single barrel has got to be one of the best values in the spirits world. It's under $30 at my local wine & spirits and it's simply a fine bourbon by any measure. Maybe lacking in the complexity of some more expensive bourbons, but I don't necessarily seek a cerebral experience when I think of bourbon anyway (and I don't mean that with any condescension, I just think that the enjoyment of bourbon should be on a uniquely american visceral level).


EW Single Barrel is awesome!! Picked some up @ $21 and it is great!


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## Lead_Foot (Nov 24, 2008)

Well, I personally prefer bourbon to scotch(I like 'em both though ). I would suggest purchasing a bottle of bookers in response, it's not so expensive that it will break the bank, but not so cheap that you'll look like an ass.

http://www.bevmo.com/Shop/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductID=565


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